FACT CHECK: Did PETA Call For The Censorship Of This Instagram Account In A Tweet?

Elias Atienza | Senior Reporter

An image shared on Instagram claims People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) sent a tweet calling for the censorship of a specific Instagram account.

 

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Verdict: False

There is no evidence PETA sent the tweet. It appears to be fabricated.

Fact Check:

The image shows what looks like a tweet from PETA calling for a specific Instagram page, @ruthless.nature, to be censored and “cancelled.” The Instagram page @ruthless.nature, which is currently private and has over 146,000 followers, describes itself as “showcasing the ruthless side of nature.”

“BREAKING: PETA investigation finds offensive content on the instagram page Ruthless.Nature,” reads the alleged tweet. “Ruthless.Nature claims that their content is ‘just nature’ but we find it to be gross and it should not be on instagram. Help us censor Ruthless.Nature. They need to be cancelled ASAP!”

There is, however, no record of PETA sending the tweet. It cannot be found on the organization’s Twitter account, nor is it shown in various archived versions of PETA’s Twitter timeline on the WayBack Machine. While the supposed tweet mentions an “investigation” into the Instagram account, PETA has not published anything to that effect on the “Investigations” page of its website.

Media outlets also haven’t reported about PETA calling for the censorship or cancelation of the Instagram page. The tweet in question appears to be fabricated. (RELATED: Did Joe Biden Tweet About Trying To Get An Instagram Page Removed After It Alleged He Wore A Wire?)

Sophia Charchuk, a senior liaison for PETA’s media response team, told Check Your Fact in an email that PETA “did not post that message.”

This is not the first time social media users have shared a fabricated tweet that was made to look like it came from a verified Twitter account and that references a specific Instagram page. In October 2020, Check Your Fact debunked the claim that President Joe Biden tweeted he had “consulted with Instagram’s CEO” to take down an Instagram page that alleged he wore a wire during a presidential debate.

Elias Atienza

Senior Reporter
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